


Why we shouldn't go to Waffle House at 2 in the Morning

by FaiaHae



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Carlos family, Carlos is a Dork, Carlos is a Good Boyfriend, Cecil is a Dork, Cecilos Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, POV Carlos (Welcome to Night Vale), Positive Cecilos Fic Drive, Romantic Fluff, Scientist Carlos (Welcome to Night Vale), Waffle House
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-07
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-08 02:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4287825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaiaHae/pseuds/FaiaHae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos pops the question at the worst possible moment, and things get badly out of control from there</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Cecil please, I think it's wise for us to go home-”  
“but carlos! That sign is so welcoming. I haven't felt so welcomed by a glowing entity since the portal at the station!”  
“..you mean the one that you ended up in desert bluffs or-”  
Cecil, who has had his head stuck out the window the entire drive back from the capital, pulls it back in and pouts. Carlos tries to focus on the road, and not on the face of an abandoned puppy. An abandoned puppy that's hungry. On a desert island.  
He sneaks a glance sideways, and something inside him shatters. Cecil looks so dissapointed, they're about to pass-  
Carlos makes a 10 second decision and Uturns, spinning the car around and pulling into the parking lot of waffle house.  
“Just remember Cecil, you didn't get time off so we need to be back by 4 nightvale time-”  
Cecil was already out the window, landing lithely like a cat and barely managing to wait at the door for Carlos. Carlos smiled.  
“I still don't understand your facination with fast food chains.”  
“It's so different! And the lights are nice. They're like the Arby's back home.”  
Cecil looked fondly at the glowing sign, and Carlos gets a lump in his throat as a very vivid memory crosses his mind. Cecil looks at him and smiles, and he can see it in his eyes too.  
So maybe 1am waffle house isn't the worst idea ever. It's still a long drive to get back, and carlos could certainly use the coffee. He links arms with his boyfriend, puts aside the nerves of small town america, and heads inside.  
A waitress who looks like she's either high or drank straight out of an espresso machine like a drunkard with a barrel tap greets them and rushes up as they sit down. Carlos has to explain to Cecil, carefully, individually, what everything is made of- and that wheat and wheat biproducts are really only dangerous in nightvale. Yes he promises. Pinky promises. Yes, Cecil can have a quarter for the jukebox.  
Cecil is giddy as he runs up to the machine, but the look of confusion on his face has carlos once again explaining the outside world to him, pointing out details as Cecil chooses.  
After coffee and Carlos's thorough appreciation of Cecil's joy enjoying his waffles they dance outside the glass walls, much to the amusement of the bored waitstaff. Carlos only looks at his watch once, and it's cecil who leads him back to the car and lets him climb up into the seat. Cecil slides the buckle across Carlos's chest and leans up and kisses him, softly. He pulls back, violet eyes crinkling as he smiles.  
“Thank you.”  
Carlos smiles. He guesses the extra calories and lost time were well worth it, even for just that smile.


	2. THIS IS NOT THE TIME

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos regrets everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me a while to get back to this but here we are!

Carlos could not understand, for the life of him, why Cecil loved waffle house so much. He ought to have his fill of fast food at the Arby's, at least. Maybe it was the wheat and wheat biproducts, maybe it was the thrill of sneaking out of town in the middle of the night, half dazed and tired, to eat gloriously greasy food and enjoy a sky with much less void then nightvale. 

But Cecil just looked so happy, curled up with the menu and wearing a foldable yellow and black paper hat. It makes Carlos's heart hurt. He's so childish, and so perfectly comfortable in places like this. He feels like they're both college students- instead of the way Carlos spent his college days, inside and studying and keeping reasonable sleeping hours. He barely went to waffle house, and he always went alone. Cecil's chattering about the new items since the last time they came, and he looks up at Carlos with a pure beauty in his violet eyes as he asks Carlos if they can learn to make hashbrowns that it just slips out of his mouth before he can help it-

"Marry me."

Carlos covers his mouth. Cecil's eyes go wide, and the waitress coming up to take their order drops their coffee. As the rest of the restaurant becomes a background of swearing and running for towels and cold water for the waitresses splashed legs Cecil and Carlos just stare at each other, dumbfounded, Carlos's hands still folded over his mouth.

Cecil starts

"Carlos-"

Carlos uncovers his mouth and places his hands on the table- then begins slamming his head on the table with such enthusiasm that Cecil lunges across the table to try to block him before he concusses himself-

"Carlos-"

"THAT WAS NOT THE TIME." He lifts his head, motified, bleeding a little. 

"Wait for the perfect moment and I was supposed to and oh god I am so sorry Cecil that was not the right time I wanted this to be perfect but you looked so happy and-"

"Carlos sweetie- easy-" He presses a napkin to Carlos's bleeding head.

"Did...Did I hear you correctly." Cecil asks, still a little dazed. Carlos swallows, red as a firetruck. 

"Y-Y-" He bangs his head on the table as Cecil jumps back.  
"Carlos stop that!" 

"Wait wait I can...Cecil come here."

Carlos grabs his hand and pulls him into the parking lot. He stands underneath the sign, takes a deep breath, and drops to one knee. Cecil's eyes go huge as the wait staff try to be subtle about watching through the window- the one with the newly bandaged legs missing a customer's cup and full on pouring coffee on the table.

 

"Cecil I wanted to wait for the perfect moment but since i've gone and- You remember the lights of the Arby's, and how I wanted to see you. Well after everything- after every hell I go through and every bad day or good day or nightvale usual- I want to see you. Every science experiment ended and every research trip or discovery, after it I want to go back to you, go home to you. Like I have been- but I want that forever, Cecil. I want you forever, or as long as Nightvale sustains life. So, um, I'm not sure about nightvale law but America's passed it so- Cecil- will you marry me?"

"Oh god- Carlos- Carlos YES!! YES!! A thousand times- Oh god can I put this on the news? please? CAN WAFFLE HOUSE CATER?"

Carlos sweeps Cecil up into the air, towards the sky- mostly void, partially stars- and kisses him. When he breaks away he smiles and says simply.

"Anything you want. Whatever makes you happy will keep me content- For as long as you want me Cecil."

Cecil throws his arms around his scientist's neck.

"Forever, perfect Carlos. but can we have those hashbrowns now?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so fucking random omg. 
> 
> Comment if you want me to write the Wedding. It'll be weird and random, but I will do it, because this was too much fun to write.


	3. Traditions

Carlos does not come out to his family. Instead, he sends the wedding invitations with waffle sticker seals and hopes to God that half his family will think it's a joke and just not come. He can deal with that later.

Not too much luck on that front. Carlos's phone doesn't stop ringing for weeks, and when they figure out that he doesn't trust anyone enough to actually answer the texts really start in honest.

_Hermano, you cannot let waffle house cater your wedding._

_HERMANO._

_CARLOS YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE WAFFLES. CARLOS._

 

_Hi sweetheart, mi hijo, I received your prankmail. At least, I am hoping that it is prankmail._

_Hijo?_

_Mi Carlos, this is not the way you tell your mother you are marrying a man._

_Carlos did you ask his father for approval??_

_He didn't ask your papa! who proposed?? it better have been you Carlos, and you better have asked his family!_

_POR QUE MI HIJO, I owe your sister 40! I know you're serious- you haven't responded- don't avoid me Carlos! Carlos you had better have a place to put your familia because you can't keep us out of your wedding!_

 

_Hola Primo! I gotta hand it to you, that took bolas. The waffle sticker was a nice touch! My kids love that restaurant. See you there! you better have asked his papa first- you know how your mama is about these things._

 

_Sobrino! I haven't seen you in years and still, I guessed that you like the arco iris, eh? Always told your mother, that son of yours will be getting himself a pretty boy. She owes me so much money! me and your Tio and your hermana cleaned up._

 

He's genuinely surprised by the lack of hatemail from his family. There was mostly mentions of his sister cleaning up on bets she's made about Carlos's sexuality and the invitations being genuine. He figures the people who are unhappy about it just won't show. Carmen was as ruthless as always.

Convincing Waffle house to cater is not difficult, but Cecil spends the week Carlos spends trying to find housing for his family getting the appropriate wheat and wheat biproduct permits. There's a lot of begging involved, apparently some crying and invoking of long forgotten Celtic Gods and threats to have the wedding outside of nightvale before the city council relents. No one wants to miss this, and they're all set for Carlos's guests to make the local businesses a fair bit of cash. Carlos, obtaining disaster control guarantees later that week, wonders if doing this in Nightvale is really a good idea. But Cecil insisted, and really, really- he knows full well that he can't say no to Cecil. 

 

The months of planning roll by, Carlos accepting the nightvale traditions for weddings with a grim enthusiasm and the knowledge that his family is going to be terrified. 

Because first of all, they're both wearing dresses.

Cecil spends weeks looking at dresses, listening to Carlos tell him about outside weddings- and the traditional colors of red and black. He tries not to focus too much on latin traditions, knowing full well the offense his parents will take if they mix too much. But he does ask Cecil how he feels about orange blossoms in his hair. He's so happy about the idea that Carlos's worries about mentioning it melt. 

In the end, the compromise is still long black robes for Carlos and a red and white dress for Cecil. There's no pretense about gender- the fabric falls off his shoulders and holds to his narrow waist. But still, he's beautiful with the flowers in his hair, and Carlos knows without a doubt that he is not going to care who has anything to say about cecil, or the clothes, or the nightvale tradition of getting matching tattoos through black magic, Or the fricken waffle house catering. He is going to have the wedding that will make his husband happy, and that is going to be IT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think i'm gonna have to move the first oneshot into another fic and just make this a wedding thing, because I got too into it Q_Q


	4. Besa mi culo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter doesn't have anything to do with waffles. I'm sorry.
> 
> Title "should" translate to kiss my ass. i'm sorry.

Waffle house rolls cheerfully into town a week early to stock the hotels, apparently on Cecil's request because he got full week permits for wheat and wheat biproducts and "might as well use em!" 

Madre de dios he needs a drink. He tries to remember if the bans ever applied to grain based alcohol as he takes a few long swigs out of the bottle. He doesn't usually drink, but Cecil's seen more of his family then he has and that fact is NOT easing his nerves. Apparently his mother is so unsurprised by nightvale that within a couple of days and informational tours she's harassing him about not asking Cecil's father for permission  _via seance._

Cecil sticks his head into the hotel room.

"Your sister's here."

"I don't want to see her."

Cecil comes completely into the room. He's wearing a button down with little palm trees on it and purple pants. 

"Honey-"

Carlos looks up and only then notices that Cecil looks upset.

"Um- Are you- Are you embarrassed of me? did you not want me to meet your-"

"Cecil-" he's up in a second, throwing his arms around him and holding him tight.

"Cecil, me amo, you don't understand. I am not ashamed of you.  _I am ashamed of them."_

"You little piece of horseshit!" Carlos looks up, deadpan, at his sister- who of course took her chance to follow Cecil into the room.

"can you wait."

"Absolutely not. I get to watch you make an ass of yourself! this is gold." She clasps her hands in an expression of reverence and bliss.

"Carlos, dear carlos, eldest son- getting married to another man, which could be fine, but in a dress, in a town no one's heard of, without coming out to anyone, without telling anyone he was dating, and having waffle house cater. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Oh, am I going to pounce and get into Grandpappy's good favors like Freddy Mercury into guys in a club restroom."

Carlos is still holding Cecil, trying in some small way to shelter him. 

"That one's going in the family quotebook. And i'm sorry- you're going to talk to me about not coming out when you pulled a clinton when you got caught? Your senior yearbook quote was 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman'. and as I recall, you did get caught in the restroom."

"Semantics. I eloped."

"I really hate you,  _Katrina."_

Cecil chose that moment to look up at Carlos, an expression of innocent confusion across his face.

"She told me her name was Carmen?"

"It is. I call her Katrina because she's a _pi_ _nche amenaza._ "

Cecil blinks.

"He called me a menace." Carmen remarks, dryly.

"You are a menance."

" _Que te folle un pez_."

" _Me cago en tu pez."_

_"Me cago en tus muertos."_

_"Me cago en todos los santos!"_

_"Me cago en todo lo que se menea!"_

"Now that's just gross."

"You started it."

" _Come mierda!"_

"I missed you, hermano."

Cecil is trying not to let on how confused he is. Apparently weird spanish and unmodified Sumerian had not prepared him.

Carlos sighs and lets him go.

"Missed you too. How's being the evil twin going?"

"Splendid. You never did meet my wife."

Cecil's mouth formed a perfect O as he tried to process all the information.

"Wait- she's- oh my god! you're twins! and she- OH! that's- OH!"

Carlos smiled gently at his fiance, wrapping an arm around his waist and finally heading downstairs.

"I guess I should go greet the family and have a few waffles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, all the spanish is probably awful.
> 
> Que te folle un pez- I hope you get fucked by a fish (or fuck a fish?)'
> 
> Please correct me if i am wrong. "Me cago en..." should mean "I shit upon" and you can figure out how quickly that arguement degrades.
> 
> http://ajwalton.com/swear-in-spanish


	5. Whipped Cream

Carlos was having the oddest bachelor party anyone had ever had.

Nevermind the idea of having two different parties, it was really out of the question once they'd realized that Carlos's family couldn't be trusted to find something to do in Nightvale. So one big party it was, In a club that had miraculously appeared overnight adjoining the "hotel" (seriously, carlos wondered, how the hell are they even doing this?)

And- surprisingly enough- He was having a pretty good time.

He'd always looked down on the tradition. thinking it seemed like a copout at best and a downright insulting idea at worst- last night of freedom, urgh- but having Cecil there kind of changed things around. That, and a Nightvale rave was nothing he had ever expected it would be.  Because how cool is bioluminscent lighting, and naturally glowing liqueur. Apparently the "green fairy" was taken rather differently around here, but Carlos was trying not to think about how scientifically fascinating that was, and mostly focus on the man in the blue croptop and minishorts. He had on a glowing gemstone collar, and his white hair was so pale the occasional blacklight spotlight made it glow. Of course, Cecil was always stunning, but this...this was new. Carlos himself was in knee length shorts and a top that cecil had splattered with paint, but the paint on Cecil was making a mess of his clothes as they held each other and danced, drank, and danced some more. 

The beat was coming up through the floor, and all Carlos could think as he held Cecil and they moved together was that there couldn't be anything in his life he wouldn't want to share- his time, his life, his evenings and nights- he wanted Cecil to be a part of the rest of his life. Even if he did love fast food  _way too fricken much._

 

Which, of course, led to them curled up together on a 'dining hall' chair in the 'hotel' ( _seriously where did this place even come from)_  Binge-ing on Waffles before they decided whether they wanted to go back to the club or go up to bed to continue the evening in another way. Cecil was at the point of clumsy tipsyness, holding a can of whipped cream with a childish care as he upended it and sprayed practically the entire table with it. Carlos, the one having his lap claimed, laughed and wrapped one arm around Cecil's waist, breaking off a bite of whipped cream mountain and waffle with a fork and offering it to Cecil. He ate it almost carefully, but he still got whipped cream all over his nose and mouth. He made dead eye contact with Carlos and licked his lips, slowly.

Well, Carlos figured, there goes the evening. 

But he fed him the rest of the waffle first, and then carried him all the way up to their room and didn't put him down till they were tangled up in bed- kisses, sheets, whipped cream and glowing paint. 

 


	6. Disaster Permits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently the disaster permits only applied to the wedding and reception.
> 
> Oops?

Cecil and Carlos were cuddling in the disaster shelter in the basement of the club, next to a pouty Carmen and her wife.

Carlos had initially wanted to be mad at Cecil for not getting longer permits when he'd seen the giant flock of pink, purple, and blue birds approaching in the distance, but Cecil had sorrowfully explained that the permits were really expensive because the City council and sheriff's secret police had to be on high alert and it put a lot of strain on the wards on no disaster days. Really it wasn't his fault. And weddings were expensive enough without worrying about extra Nightvale costs.

Carmen's wife flopped over her lap and held out a hand to Carlos and/or Cecil. She didn't seem to have a preference.

"I haven't met either of you! I'm Serendipity.Before you ask, my parents were hippies. I can recognize Carlos, but you must be Cecil!"

Cecil reached over Carlos's leg to shake her hand, still leaning on Carlos's chest. 

"I am! How are you liking Nightvale so far?"  
"It's pretty cool actually! I've been able to buy a lot of really cool stuff for my parents. Gorgeous glasswork and native stuff here."

Cecil made a dissaproving cluck with his tongue.

"Careful where you buy that." 

"Of course. One shop had a picture on the wall of a white guy in a plastic headdress. Sped right outta there."

Carlos cringed, just slightly. Serendipity didn't notice, but Cecil grabbed his hand and pulled Carlos's arm around his waist.

"Mhm."

Serendipity smiled.

"Seems like an exciting place to live."

"Oh I assure you, you have NO idea." Carlos deadpanned.

Carmen looked up from stroking her wife's hair to smirk.

"Hermano always did like challenges."

Carlos glared at her.

"Apártate que me tiznas, dijo la sartén al cazo." He hissed.

Cecil looked up and pouted.

"I thought you weren't going to do that as much. It makes me feel left out."

"Sorry." Carlos kissed him on the cheek.

Serendipity smiled.

"try learning a little, it helps. Focus on the insults if your Carlos is anything like mi Novia."

Carmen smiled at her wife with such happiness that Carlos's bitterness evaporated. He turned back to Cecil and wrapped both his arms around his fiance's waist, snuggling him against his chest. 

Serendipity let herself be distracted by Carmen for a minute, then planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I heard someone managed to smuggle the waffle house table down here since the club's not overrun yet! wanna go get some?? I hope they got the whipped cream..."

Cecil shot up, turning to Carlos with wordless excitement, and the twins looked at each other.

"Carmen?"

"Carlos?"

"Waffles?"

"waffles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apártate que me tiznas, dijo la sartén al cazo- Move away, you are blackening me, said the pan to the pot.
> 
> hopefully. Sorry to the nice person who offered spanish help, I update in a hurry :|
> 
>  
> 
> Carmen and Serendipity are kinda fem carlos and cecil. Kinda. I am also kinda not sorry about that.


	7. The rehearsal

Carlos was chewing gum at his wedding rehearsal.

It was fine, it was lavender scented, and he promised Cecil (who didn't care) that he wouldn't on the actual day, but he was just nervous. Not because he didn't want to spend every minute of the rest of his life with Cecil- that was established empirical fact. But Carlos hadn't so much as considered a future with anyone else, and that reality was weighing heavy on his mind. What did married people even do? He and Cecil couldn't..physically bear children. Maybe. He hadn't actually checked if that worked in Nightvale. 

Maybe they could adopt? But would he even be a good father? What if Cecil got tired of him as suddenly as he'd fallen for him?

Cecil had listened patiently to his nervous rambling with a hand on his knee, then simply quietly handed him the gum. It helped. It helped a lot. Cecil hadn't tried to respond directly to anything Carlos said. he didn't take most of his concerns seriously enough to acknowledge them as anything more then jitters. Carlos might not know yet, but Cecil knew that everything was going to work out okay. He just did.

But there he was, at the rehearsal, and Carlos had managed to choke on the gum right before they exchanged vows.

It said a lot about Nightvale how quickly Cecil gave him the Heimlich- not hesitating for a second.

Then they continued on with the ceremony like nothing had happened.

Carlos's mother looked appalled. Then again, that could have been the lines about praising the mighty beams and bloodstone circles. Carmen was just struggling to keep herself together, serendipty covering her wife's mouth as she struggled not to laugh audibly. He was glad they were taking this well. His aunt had fainted. The Nightvale guests looked very confused at the antics of Carlos's relatives.

It was all just so...Nightvale. Carlos tried not to choke on his own tongue as he made it through the vows and made the blood pact with Cecil- unbeknownst to his family that part was real. It needed to be done twice to take.

Carmen nearly, Nearly, had it under control, but when she saw the blood pact she looked over at her father's expression and she broke down. She muffled herself in serendipty's skirt, but the sound of laughter was still carrying up to the front when the ceremony finished and Cecil and Carlos sealed it the normal way- with a kiss.

The Nightvale side burst into screaming cheers. Cecil pressed his head into Carlos's shoulder, and Carlos held him for a second. Cecil mumbled

"You know if you want to leave you still can-"

"Oh honey-" Carlos's arms tightened around his soon to be husband.

"I'm not going anywhere. I wouldn't for the world."


	8. The Wedding

Carlos had nerves, sure. His heart wouldn't stop pounding, and his stomach was twisting like a snake. Maybe the waffle house breakfast wasn't appropriate, but seriously- the one serious breakfast for the breakfast food catering. and fainting of anemia or blood sugar issues in the middle of his wedding wouldn't be any good at all.

Mostly he just wanted Cecil. He wanted his Cecil to brush his too-long hair back and give him that smile that erased all his panic, all the anxiety.

He supposed he understood the wisdom of not taking bad luck lightly in Nightvale, but did he really have to spend the night before his wedding night alone? Carlos had overestimated his ability to handle being without Cecil. It'd been too long.

So he REALLY missed Cecil. And anxiety is a bitch. He didn't have cold feet. He was just _really goddamn scared._

He was holding the glass flute flowers tighter then he probably should have been. He'd been dressed, his sister had a good laugh, he'd been assured repeatedly that Cecil hadn't walked out on him. His hair had been pinned up with some rather pretty silver clips. He felt pretty. And foolish. He knew Cecil'd love what they'd done with his hair. He hoped Cecil would like it. He took a deep breath, and as he did a door opened. A pale, wrinkled hand reached through and beckoned him. He swallowed and stepped out. The faceless old woman (he really couldn't see her, but she'd been around enough- he knew it was her) took his hand lightly and led him to the door on his side of the temple (church? ritual space?). 

"Cecil's as nervous as you are. I will tell him you are sure and love him. It will make him feel better. When the door opens, just walk out. You know how it goes."

the scratchy whisper faded with the pressure on Carlos's hand. He could have cried from relief, if he wasn't quite sure that Carmen had put eyeliner on him and significantly less sure it was waterproof.

It would be just like her. She knew how he teared up when he got emotional. 

The door opened so quietly and quickly that he found himself walking out before he fully processed what he was doing.

It was dark, the setting sun and the rising moon somehow both lighting the building. The last of the sunlight fell on him, and as he looked up the moonlight caught Cecil. It took his breath away. His pale hair and his eyes shone, the glass flowers glittering. Cecil wore silver eyeliner and some kind of shadow over his eyes that shone as his violet eyes took in Carlos with a similar expression of awe. Cecil smiled, and there was so much love in his face that it took everything Carlos had not to sprint across and sweep him up in his arms that second. But they crossed to the front together and locked arms, as was the custom. The glass flowers were collected and used to scratch open their palms. Blood mixed and spilled, and traced flowers onto their arms. odd symbols were written- eyes, chemical formulas, chain links and the shapes of shards. Carlos realized with a start that the symbols on his skin were Cecil- the mirror shards, the shapes of writing in languages that he didn't understand,star signs,  a microphone and the lithe form of a cat wrapped around it. On Cecil there were the chemical symbols, locket chains, watches and the matching stars- Taurus and Aquarius. The two of them. The blood turned to ink as the faceless shadow reciting sumerian(?) intoned a last, final sounding line, twisted the glass flowers as they turned starry blue and green shades, and let them float to the ground as it disspeared. Carlos took that as an invitation to get a lot closer to Cecil, and Cecil returned the gesture enthusiastically, so he figured he'd gotten the timing right. They held each other, and Carmen was the first to her feet to cheer. The rest of nightvale echoed her enthusiasm. Carlos grinned as he kissed Cecil on the closed eye on his forehead. This may have been the culmination of nightvale's years of listening to radio romance- but for the two of them it was going to be the beggining of a hell of a lot more. and he was more then happy with that.

 

Even if Cecil insisted on eating half the waffle house buffet before he got to whisk him off to the honeymoon- citing "the heels struggle" as the reason for the binge. As Carlos sat back and watched Cecil- beautifully dressed and made up, face now half covered in butter, whipped cream, and powdered sugar- all he could think about was how perfectly strange his boyfriend- his _husband-_ was. And even if Nightvale spent more then half of it's time trying to kill him, It had brought Cecil to him and well, that was enough to make it home.

 

 


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprises (potential warning in end notes)

Cecil loved Italy, as Carlos had guessed he would. They spent the days of their honeymoon running down crowded alleys and peaking into little shops. Cecil insisted on going to a different restaurant every single night, and Carlos was more then happy to spend their evenings with all the different sights. There had been a bit of a close call at the Parthenon with some glowing eyes and denouncing of the great and old false gods, but for the most part Nightvale stayed on its continent and didn't follow them too much. 

actually, that was naive. Cecil and nightvale were inseparable. It was all a matter of when the other shoe dropped. 

They were out at dinner in Rome, the lights from the restaurants on the street replacing the stars in dull gold. Cecil was relaxed, comfortable in burnt orange and violet. Carlos was wearing his labcoat at Cecil's request. They were getting some odd looks, but Carlos was long used to that. He settled back and raised his eyes from the menu to his husband, and found him chewing his thumbnail with an enthusiasm that was going to draw blood if he kept at it.

"Sweetheart-" He reached out and took Cecil's hand, gently. 

"You've been nervous since last night. What's wrong?"

"Oh- um- I-"

Cecil looked at his hands, tapping the finger with the curly silver engagement ring. 

"We never really...Carlos....How do you feel about....kids?"

Carlos's eyebrows pulled together.

"Um. it's not something I really thought- I mean, I figured we'd talk about it after we'd been together a little longer-"

Cecil was normally an open book, but Carlos wasn't quite able to put the pieces together right then. 

"But honey we have time for that don't we? why's it on your mind now?"

Cecil looked just a bit frustrated, but in that sort of doting way he had whenever Carlos missed something about Nightvale he found obvious. 

Carlos was starting to get an odd feeling. Something he'd meant to ask about. Something important he'd forgotten. 

Cecil just looked at him patiently. He was waiting for Carlos to ask, or to figure it out.

"Wait- Cecil- You're not- You can't....give birth..can you?"

"Oh heavens no."

"Oh."

"The phantom hawk delivers a male born child. I don't see how it'd work otherwise."

Carlos stared at him, pieces slowly falling into all the places he never would have put them willingly.

"You're pregnant?" 

The waiter who'd been approaching with the waterjug turned tail and was gone so fast neither of them had a chance to notice him. They were used to startling waitstaff by now.

Cecil broke into a nervous smile.

"Um. Yes. Is that...alright? I mean there are rituals to waive the soul delivery so if you don't want it- But I- Carlos-"

"Cecil, if you're sure- I mean, I wasn't expecting it...but-" Carlos realized he was stuttering badly. He swallowed. Cecil looked very fragile, beautifully glasslike in the lights through the window.

"What I mean to say is that if I can be a father, I'd love to have a child with you. I just hope i'm a good parent....I'm just-"

Cecil broke into a smile so wide it could have lit the room. He grabbed Carlos's hand and held it tight.

"Thank you. I'm glad. I was worried-"

"It's alright." Carlos smiled.

"When I said I was yours i meant it. And I wouldn't dream of denying you the chance to be a father."

A little part of Carlos's brain was screaming obscenities, but Cecil's smile was keeping it's volume down. He'd have to explain how that whole process worked in the rest of the world just in case he lost his cool. wouldn't want Cecil to misinterpret.

He held Cecil's hand and looked out the window, over the street and the lights, the music drifting from somewhere. Then he turned back to Cecil and lifted his wineglass, holding it out.

"To us. Lets just relax and enjoy the rest of this time, alright?"

Cecil touched the glass to his and smiled.

"To us. The...three of us."

Carlos smiled.

"yes. The three of us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for mpreg! I couldn't resist. Sozzy


End file.
